1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to floor sweepers. In one of its aspects, the invention relates to a floor sweeper having multiple brushes for sweeping dirt from a carpet into a receptacle.
2. Description of the Related Art
Floor sweepers having one or more rotatable brush rollers for sweeping debris into an on-board dust pan have been developed to the point where they function very adequately on smooth floors as well as carpets. See, for example, U.S. Pat. No. 3,457,575 entitled "Sweeper For Carpeted And Smooth Floors".
Modern day floor sweepers are expected to pick up a variety of different types of debris including not only lint, thread, sand and the like, but also larger items such as cigarette butts. In designing floor sweepers of improved construction, problems are always found relative to the placement and mounting of the various elements. This is especially true in connection with the wheels and brush rollers, retaining springs, dust pans, bail, and the like. It is important that the lower unit of a floor sweeper be designed so that it can be manufactured economically, as well as assembled and serviced with a minimum of difficulty. The elements of the sweeper should cooperate and function in the most efficient manner possible, keeping in mind the need for a compact unit which is visually attractive. Not all designs are highly efficient.
For example, some sweepers have separate upwardly removable dust pans with peripheral shoulders which cooperate with an upper peripheral ledge on the sweeper housing so that the ledge supports the pans. Alternately, the floors of upwardly removable pans are sometimes supported by bottom walls in the housing. Bails have often been formed of special parts useful for the bail alone, thus requiring separate manufacturing operations for this relatively simple device.
As a further example, the support wheels of prior sweepers have not always been positioned or adapted to function in a manner to promote overall sweeper efficiency or for ease of installation and manufacture.
It is well recognized that floor sweepers should have the highest pickup efficiency possible so that a minimum of debris remains on the floor surface after several passes of the sweeper thereover.